


rebuild around the ruins

by wordcatchers



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/F, Friendship, Gen, Post-Finale, note: the Korrasami is basically just /mentioned/
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:52:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordcatchers/pseuds/wordcatchers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wu gives Mako a phone call once he arrives back in Ba Sing Se, relaying a message for the Avatar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	rebuild around the ruins

**Author's Note:**

> This little fic is Mako-centric with Wu and Korra. Platonic relationships all around, save for mentioning of romantic!Korrasami.

Wu phoned him the first day he arrived in Ba Sing Se.

"Mako! You will not _believe_ \--"

The former prince-slash-king's tone was a bit more than aggravating, as per the usual, but at least he knew how to handle it by now.

Mako cleared his throat and interjected coolly, "I saw Ba Sing Se in ruins, in fire and smoke and _rubble_ , after what the Red Lotus did a little over three years ago, Wu. I'm pretty sure nothing much can surprise me any more there, at least right now. Besides, I'm... _busy_. Here. In Republic City. Where the center of the city was utterly _destroyed_ by that spirit ray. Remember?"

Wu was silent for the beat of, say, around four seconds, which was enough time for Mako to imagine his former employer pouting, a finger perched upon his lips, impatient and a little hurt. Mako pinched the bridge of his nose, tapping his fingers upon his temporary desk in this temporary police headquarters as work moved forward to rebuild portions of the original.

Wu's tone quietened as he spoke again. "I do. I was just going to say that you wouldn't believe the _support_ I got when I arrived. It was lovely, Mako."

With the phone cord wrapped around his fingers, Mako smiled despite himself. He had been too short with Wu, but both of them... well, they knew each others faults, to a certain extent. Working so closely with someone, as their _bodyguard_ , for such a period of time obviously lent to getting to know each others personal tics, at least to some degree.

"I... I'm glad, Wu. But you're still going ahead with..." He gesticulated in the air with his free hand, searching for the right words. He heard Wu laugh on the other side of the line.

"My _plans_?" he suggested.

"Yeah, those. The procedures to relinquish your royal authority and rule, in favor of a republic rule, inspired by the United Republic of Nations."

It sounded much better in his head.

"No wonder the people panicked when you tried to explain the evacuation, Mako," Wu said, his light laughter annoying Mako much less now than several weeks ago. The guy had somehow, despite it all, _grown_ on him. He vaguely imagined how his past self might react, and he had to wipe the small smile off his face as the Chief passed by, sparing one glance in his direction. He nodded at her, knowing that she more than likely didn't notice, but it was the thought that counted, he told himself.

He stretched his free arm behind his head and staved off a yawn, wincing a bit at the lingering pains the lightning burn had left behind. Though he was free of the cast now, with the aid of several healers -- best in their respective classes, he still wore heavy gauze around the injury itself, coated in a healing balm that was replaced twice a day at this point.

"Did you have anything else to say, Wu?" he asked, staring down at a wad of paperwork he still needed to sort through. Soon, he would go out into the streets again, working with other detectives as well as officers, as citizens were relocated to new areas, long-term temporary shelters while constructions crews began work on building new housing blocks to replace what had been lost in the downtown district.

Wu didn't miss a beat. "Oh! Yes, I wanted to ask you to let me know when Avatar Korra returns from the spirit world. I heard from President Raiko about her intended vacation, and we spoke general _terms_ before she left, but once she comes back, I need her here for some time, off and on, as we work the details out with these advisors I've been given."

"Of course, Wu. She did say she would lend her help, and I know she will do everything in her power to smooth the transition in the Earth Kingdom."

"Republic."

"Re -- what?"

Wu laughed again, " _Republic_ , Mako -- it's not fitting for a republic to be called a _kingdom_ , is it?" Mako scratched idly at an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Yeah, guess not. Anyway... Tenzin told me that they said they would only be gone for a week at the most, so they should be back..." He paused, turning towards his desk calendar, counting the days passed since Korra had created the new spirit portal, as well as the days since they had left for their vacation. "Uh, in two days, at the most. It's only been five days now since they left."

" _Huh_ , if it was _me_ , I would have been gone much longer."

"Well, Korra and Asami aren't _you_ , Wu. They know they both can't just... _take off_ for weeks at a time, especially right now. They even took two days between deciding to go on vacation, and actually _going_ , to start working on their... plans, and ideas, for the city." He had tried to not be technical, or rather, _detail-oriented_ , about their exact working plans.

It was silent on the line for a moment, but then Wu asked, "Are you upset that they didn't ask you to come along? That it was just the two of them?"

Mako started, blinking at the sudden question.

"No, why would I be? I've seen the spirit world, I can go whenever I like, but right now I have to keep to this healing schedule if I want the best results on the scarring of this lightning burn."

If Wu had a beard, Mako could easily imagine him stroking it, like Tenzin sometimes did with his, as another silence passed between them. He flipped through a few pages of the paperwork on his desk and sighed, saying, "Is that all, Wu? I have work I need to get to."

"All right, _all right_ , Mako. No need to be all--"

Mako groaned, then said, "Look, I _know_ what you were getting at, Wu. 'What's going on with you two?' Remember me saying that to them? And Tenzin... well, once _he_ knows, it's pretty obvious. His facial expression was quite... complex, as he told me where they had gone to. He was visibly relieved when I pieced it all together, and honestly, I'm fine with it. Why _wouldn't_ I be happy for them? They're my friends, and they both deserve happiness."

"You deserve happiness, too, Mako," Wu said, and Mako heard that somewhat rare tone of utter sincerity across the line.

He rolled his eyes and said, "What do you call not working for you anymore?"

"Hey, _Mako!_ That is _**complet**_ ** _ely_** _unfair!_ "

Mako laughed. "I never even had to take this call, you know. I could have hung up on you."

Another short silence passed until Wu said, "But you didn't."

"Yeah, I didn't."

"...Thanks, Mako."

He was glad that Wu had gotten the implications behind his words; after all, even he knew he still wasn't the _best_ at expressing his emotions. But he kept trying, moving forward, bit by bit, and he knew that he had grown from that eighteen-year-old pro-bending self who had stumbled across the Avatar's path. Sometimes, it felt like a lifetime ago, and in a way it was. Things had changed, but he was grateful for all of it -- those ups and downs, all of them had meant something, had pushed him forward, kept him going for more than just himself and Bolin.

Mako uncurled the telephone cord that had been wrapped around his fingers, saying, "You're welcome, Wu. I'll give you a call -- or rather, Korra will -- when she returns. I'll relay your message to her."

"Sure thing! I'll be waiting."

.

It turned out that the former prince-slash-king didn't have to wait that long at all. The next afternoon, Korra and Asami returned, brimming with a palpable joy, yet with a fierce determination to settle into to their duties as well. Asami returned to her work on redesigning the city's infrastructure yet again, full with ideas from the spirit world to incorporate within the designs, and Korra listened raptly to Mako's message from Wu.

"Thanks again for relaying Wu's message to me, Mako," she said, after she had asked yet again about his arm, just like at the wedding a week or so back now. She turned her head to glance out of his temporary office window, at the rubble and ruins still being cleared out. "I..." she started, looking back towards him, a sobering expression on her face. "I feel a bit badly for not being here for five full days, but..."

Mako smiled and rested a hand on her arm. "It's all right, Korra. You, of all people, deserved that vacation, however short it was... at least in Wu terms."

Korra laughed at that and said, "'Wu terms'? Let me guess, he'd want to take a full month or six off from any duties he had?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "probably that. Yeah."

The sense that their conversation was over settled upon them both, and Korra rose from her seat just a moment earlier than Mako did. When they met gazes again, Mako was holding a hand out for a shake, but Korra just shook her head and laughed a little, instead choosing to come around the desk and envelop him a warm hug.

"Thanks for... _everything_ , Mako," she said, and he understood. He'd raised one eyebrow earlier at the way she and Asami had parted, a lingering hug, and a chaste kiss on the cheek, and she'd spilled the beans on him.

("But Asami's okay with me -- us -- telling you, y'know? We talked about it, and she thought... _we_ thought... you might, already...?"

"Know?" He'd smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, and Tenzin figured it out, too. And Wu, from what he heard from Raiko. At some point, the others can know, as well. On you and Asami's terms.")

As they parted from the hug, Mako said, "You don't have to thank me. I'm your friend, Korra, and I stick by what I said at the wedding: I'll always have your back, no matter what."

Korra broke into another smile and said, "Well, if you don't want another thank you... Can I ask what your plans are? Besides working?"

He furrowed his brow. "Well, Bolin has gone to Zaofu with Opal and most of the Beifongs, save for Lin. He asked me to come with him, but I have stuff I have to work on here first. But... I think I'm going to go there, once I finish up here. It'd be nice, I think, to get away from the city for a while, and maybe see if I can lend any aid in Zaofu if they'll have this firebender." He cracked a grin, and a short wink at Korra, to which she good-naturedly punched him in his good arm for.

"I'm sure they'll love having you, Mr. Hat Trick."

He smiled, slow and easy, at the old nickname.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will."


End file.
